24 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Sedgwick County approved $69,000 of funding to renew the contract agreement for the mental health intervention program in Valley Center at USD 262.
The program started in 2018 when Wichita USD 259 partnered with Sedgwick County’s COMCARE with the goal of increasing attendance and improving student behavior.
“If you’re sitting there very depressed or anxious or you’ve just had some really bad stuff happen at the home, and you’re thinking about that, it’s really hard to think about math and other things that go on at school,” said COMCARE’s Director of Clinical and Rehab Services Shantel Westbrook.
The program places therapists and care specialists at local schools with the aim of helping students with depression and anxiety they may be experiencing. For younger kids, they teach social skills through play therapy. At the high school level, they create goals to help students work through their anxiety toward a positive future.
One therapist, Courtney Kersten, works with a couple of schools in the Wichita school district, and she says she sees about 35 students a week.
“I’ve loved being able to watch kids start in a very chaotic, chaotic, coping skills space and through relationships, through therapy, through skill building, they are able to feel comfortable in their classrooms,” said Kersten.
The program works with districts including Wichita, Mulvane, Valley Center, Maize, and Derby. The approved funding will allow the bill to be covered for any student who cannot afford the services provided.